Dyane Sherwood will speak about the symbolic and experiential way that the Lakota (“Sioux”) tribe’s ancient spiritual tradition situates the individual within the natural world and within community.

We will look at fundamental symbols and rituals, as well as a story that teaches the value of feminine wisdom. This will be related to the alienation and suffering expressed by many people seeking psychotherapy today, who have lost their orientation and sense of belonging in the natural world and within a community with shared values.

The lecture will be followed by a ritual of drumming as a form of active imagination, as practiced by the late Donald Sandner. Wear comfortable clothing and bring drums and rattles so we can celebrate together at the end.

Dyane Sherwood will introduce you to Coyote, the Great North American Trickster, greedy and lascivious, who transgresses boundaries and cultural norms. Native American Coyote stories use outrageous humor to teach us about the Coyote in ourselves and in others.

Each person will have the opportunity to use paper, clay, paint, and other art supplies to make your own Coyote figure. We will make the figures in the morning, and then paint and decorate them at the end of the afternoon. You may also wish to write a story of your own about an encounter with Coyote!

After lunch, and before completing our Coyotes, we will learn about a Navajo story and no-longer practiced healing ritual that takes us more deeply into the evil and harm caused by Coyote when his path leads to addiction, abuse, and mental illness. The group will be invited to participate in a discussion of the ways the the stories and ritual can inform therapeutic practice, as well as everyday life. (Registration limited to 30 attendees.)

About the Presenter:

Dyane N. Sherwood, Ph.D., is a Jungian psychoanalyst and a teaching member of the Sandplay Therapists of America. She began her study of shamanism, including Native American traditions, with the late Jungian analyst, Donald Sander. She worked for many years with the Lakota elder Pansy Hawking and underwent vision quests and participated in the Sun Dance on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Dr. Sherwood has a private practice in Oberlin.

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*PLEASE NOTE: If you do not wish to register online, you can download the registration form below.